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Most of my hanging is backpackpacking. I like to get out on the AT when I can but this year has been dedicated to the Foothills Trail. Planning on going to the Lake Jocassee Hang with my family (car camping... for the most part) and my wife and 2 daughters will also be hanging in their HH Expeds. If all goes as planned ("fingers crossed here") there may be more "family hanging" trips in my future. But, backpackig is my mainstay.

. . . and Mt Rogers hang is coming. . .

So do you use one tarp for everything?
Have you had experience with both silnylon and SpinnUL?
Is one more water resistant than the other?
Is one easier to set-up than the other?

I do use my SF for every hang. Its big, lots of coverage, have the doors in the event I need to close up shop and keep the weather out. Large enough with the doors closed I can sit and cook a meal and even have a buddy sitting with me and we are completely out of the elements. I have not used Spinn but from my understanding Spinn's only true advantage is it is lighter. Its pretty noisy when setting it up due to the fabric material but once it is set its not much different than Sil. Both Sil and Spinn are silicone impregnated so they are both equally waterproof.

Maybe others who know more about Spinn could chime in and explain better, my only knowledge for Spinn is what I read on the forums. You could also try to contact Medicine Man, who was at the hang, as he uses multiple tarps, Spinn and Sil.

“He doesn't know the meaning of the word fear, but then again he doesn't know the meaning of most words”
- Bobby Bowden

I think that you couldn't go wrong with any of those choices. I really like my silnylon Superfly, but SpinnUL is some cool stuff.

Oh, and I also think that you adjusted your budget.

Chris

Thanks for the note. My goal was to stay under 200 for the hammock. If I interpret the WB website correctly I think the WBBB will keep me under 200. Of course adding the tarp will blow the 200 out of the water!!! As you can tell from his post Muskrat is a silnylon guy. I think I'll reconsider that based on his comments.

I do use my SF for every hang. Its big, lots of coverage, have the doors in the event I need to close up shop and keep the weather out. Large enough with the doors closed I can sit and cook a meal and even have a buddy sitting with me and we are completely out of the elements. I have not used Spinn but from my understanding Spinn's only true advantage is it is lighter. Its pretty noisy when setting it up due to the fabric material but once it is set its not much different than Sil. Both Sil and Spinn are silicone impregnated so they are both equally waterproof.

Maybe others who know more about Spinn could chime in and explain better, my only knowledge for Spinn is what I read on the forums. You could also try to contact Medicine Man, who was at the hang, as he uses multiple tarps, Spinn and Sil.

It's my understanding that the Sil stretches. Have you had any grief with getting the tarp tight?

It's my understanding that the Sil stretches. Have you had any grief with getting the tarp tight?

A little but I use stakes similar to the MSR Ground Hog and re-adjust as needed. Lots of people have gone to using things like STLs (http://www.jacksrbetter.com/STLs.htm) to compensate for that but I really haven't noticed much need on my part yet to go that route. I'm sure one day I may but I have been in many rain storms and snow storms and typically I can make 1 re-adjustment and never have to go back to it again. I also find that backpacking I never have to make a re-adjustment... set it up, cook dinner, go to sleep, wake up, hike to the next campsite. Not really much time for me to notice if the tarp has stretched out. Nice thing about the Superfly, if you watch Brandon's video on the setup, you really can crank down on it and get it really tight. The way Brandon is tying off to the stake in the video is exactly what I am using now.

As far as my thoughts on Spinn, personally, I would go in that direction if money wasn't a factor and if the Superfly was available in Spinn. I definitely want the coverage of the SF and the doors as well so really, Spinn is not an option at this time.

“He doesn't know the meaning of the word fear, but then again he doesn't know the meaning of most words”
- Bobby Bowden

I never have been much of a hiker, but as I get older I need to do things that are more physically challenging (to prevent the decline), so I want to add hiking/backpacking to my recreation options. My intital thought of going with the Spinn MacCat or Big Mamajamba is that it seems a decent compromise between coverage and weight. However, if the weight of the superfly isn't a problem for you as a backpacker, I might ought to reconsider the superfly. I too like car camping so weight isn't a big deal there. As of now I'm not a gram geek, but who knows, maybe a few trail experiences will make me one.